This afternoon Don Faul, CEO of CrossFit, sent an email to athletes, coaches and agents giving them updates as it relates to the third-party investigation into Lazar Đukić’s death, conversations with the community regarding the future of the Sport and mental health support for those impacted by the Lazar’s passing.
In the email, Faul encouraged anyone who was at the CrossFit Games and wanted to share information with the third-party investigator to do so. Information on how to get in contact with the investigator would be provided separately.
Faul also shared that he has had numerous conversations with athletes and others within the community covering many topics as it relates to “CrossFit as a Sport“. He acknowledged that those conversations were ongoing and that he wants to ensure that he speaks with all groups (athletes, partners, affiliate owners and others) before making changes.
CrossFit will also be providing free therapy through Lyra Health to those who were on-site in Fort Worth and affected by the death of Lazar. Lyra Health is an organization that works with organizations to deliver mental health care to its employees. In this case, CrossFit is offering Lyra Health’s services to those impacted by this tragedy.
Here is the entire email sent by Don Faul:
Hello,
I’m writing to share a few important updates.
Third-Party Investigation
Over the last four weeks, we have had extensive dialogue with our athletes, affiliates, partners and teammates. We continue to mourn the tragic loss of Lazar’s life and the investigation is underway to identify the facts and circumstances surrounding his death. We encourage any individuals that were present at the Games and who desire to speak with the investigator about the swim and individual event 1 to do so; we will be following up directly with instructions on how to reach the investigator. We thank those of you who have already come forward to help with this process.
Community Dialogue
Separate and apart from the investigation, we’ve heard from many people in our community across a range of topics related to CrossFit as a Sport. Over the past three weeks, I’ve personally met with many of our athletes and other members of the community. These conversations have helped me better understand issues that are top-of-mind and the different points of view that exist.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue to engage through additional conversations with our athletes, partners, affiliate owners and other members of our community about the future of our Sport. Collecting this feedback will take time, but it’s important to ensure we hear from each important group before we make any changes. We look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks.
Mental Health and Trauma Support
As promised, we also want to share details regarding mental health and trauma support to those who attended the 2024 CrossFit Games and were affected by the death of Lazar Đukić. This resource will be serviced through Lyra Health, which offers several confidential support options including therapy, coaching, and unlimited access to self-care apps.
If you were on site in Fort Worth, CrossFit is offering access to eight free coaching or therapy sessions within a six-month period, starting today and ending on Feb. 28, 2025.
A sincere thank you for all of your engagement with our team in recent weeks. We look forward to moving forward.
-Don
